Many traditional approaches to distributing stored content, such as audio, video, text or software content, involve distributing media (such as print media, magnetic or optical media and the like) which, once distributed, can typically be freely used by any person having possession of the media. Such a distribution system, however, imposes certain undesirable restraints on how the content is distributed. For example, in traditional distribution methods, payment (or a contract or commitment to make payment) is obtained at the time the media is distributed. This has a number of consequences. The payment typically must be an all-or-nothing payment, i.e., payment for all content which is on the media, even though as user may wish to have only a portion of such content. Typically, this manner of distribution means that distribution of the physical media and payment for content must be tightly coupled such as by providing for both distribution and payment at a retail location, by a mail transaction (such as a typical book club transaction), by electronic downloading and electronic commerce, and the like. Such distribution methods have substantial associated costs, such as costs of warehousing, retail personnel, and the like. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a content distribution system which can be configured such that distribution of the media can be independent from payment or payment commitments, and/or independent from enablement of the content.
In some systems involving electronic storage of information on media, the media which is distributed is encrypted or otherwise read-protected and the user must provide a code such as a password in order to have access to the content. This approach, however, although it may assist in certain schemes for avoiding unauthorized copying, has typically had other associated disadvantages. Such approaches typically provide for coupling the enablement of protected content to a particular computer or media reader, e.g., such that it is cumbersome or impossible to use the media in more than one machine (such as imposing a requirement for remembering, and then entering, the password when the media is provided in a second computer or reader), i.e., there is no provision for the media itself to provide, to a computer or reader, information regarding previous content enablement. When protection codes or keys are established and stored by a media fabricator (or the fabricator of a media player or host computer), or otherwise provided prior to distribution of content to a user, the system is typically relatively inflexible, provides the potential for using a copy of the code or key to access multiple media, and presents a potential for interception of enabling keys or codes. Additionally, many schemes are configured such that an exact “binary” copy of user-accessible portions of the disk will result in a copy which can be accessed in the same fashion as the source disk. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system in which a binary copy of user-accessible portions is at least partially disabled, e.g. requiring a payment to obtain access.
Some system for producing optical disks allow different disks to have different indicia. Some such systems provide for a step of selectively destroying pre-formatted regions. Such systems have a number of disadvantageous aspects. Systems which selectively destroy pre-formatted regions are inherently destructive and act to destroy, rather than creating recorded data. Such systems operate on pre-formatted regions, thus can not be formed by embossing (which typically occurs simultaneously with formatting). Such systems typically have a relatively coarse resolution, such as being unable to destroy only a single track, without destroying at least one adjacent track). Such systems typically rely on using a specialized device driver to read such a disk, and are typically infeasible for use in modern systems which use a SCSI driver an/or rely on an operating system (such as Windows 98, or the like), for disk read operations. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system which can provide disks that have not only information content-mastered data, but also individualizable, preferably unique, identifiers on each disk, using non-destructive track recording.
Many previous distribution systems, especially those relating to electronically or optically stored information, have been designed to prevent or discourage copying of content. Although certain copy protection systems may involve encryption/decryption, it is useful to understand that copy protection is not the same as content encryption and that copy protection is not the same as copyright protection. Implementation of effective copy prevention measures means that the entire cost for making copies falls on authorized distributors. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system in which users are permitted or encouraged to make copies, and thus bear the cost of copying, while providing for appropriate payments to content owners and other appropriate entities. It would be useful to provide a system that does not prevent (and preferably encourages) copying, but which does provide copyright protection.
Some systems involve a key, code or decryption algorithm which is stored in a player device or host computer in a manner which can make it feasible to obtain the code, key or algorithm, or to defeat the protection procedure, by analyzing or modifying the player or host computer, thus potentially gaining access to any disk used in such player or host computer. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system in which access to a player or host key or code will not suffice, by itself, to obtain access to multiple different disks.